Another Oshkosh is complete and what a fantastic Airventure week it was! For those of you who have been able to experience Oshkosh in the past, chances are you have memories of hot muggy weather or storms of enormous proportions (….or maybe both!). This year was an unexpected break from both – we were lucky if we saw mid-80′s and only had a dusting of rain here or there throughout the week. Needless to say it was an outstanding event!

I was lucky enough to be spending my 2nd Oshkosh with the amazing ICON Aircraft Team (my 6th Oshkosh overall) and it was, as always, great! Although I wasn’t away from the booth much for a majority of the week, I did get the opportunity to sneak out for a bit and grabbed pics to share with Go Inverted.

A great friend and fellow aerobatic pilot, Michelle Kole (5g Aviation) and I were lucky enough to sneak a flight into Osh with a friend who was bringing in a Citation Mustang (jetAVIVA). Within 5 minutes of being on the ramp in front of the Weeks Hangar we spied our first movie star! Dusty was a hit with all ages, even flying during the show on a few of the days and then sharing his movie (Disney’s Planes) with everyone before it hit theaters on Friday night!

We spent the week meeting lots of amazing people at the ICON booth as well as seeing old friends – Oshkosh is the best place on earth to make new friends as well as catch up with old ones!

Kadie stopped by to say hello – she’s sure to be one of the next great aerobatic pilots so make sure to watch for her in the future!!

Chelsea, Jamie & Jessy

Chelsea & EAA Volunteer, John

Making new friends at Oshkosh is easy – everyone there is your friend whether you know it or not! It is such an amazing place where people with a passion for flying, fun and innovation gather once a year to share their passion for these things with others. One of the most amazing things about this are the droves of volunteers that come every single year to help EAA make this show possible. I had to take my picture with John, one of the volunteers at the exhibitor’s food tent (he made sure to keep us in line when we arrived each day) – how can you pass up a picture with such a fine young man, Oshkosh B’gosh overalls and all!?!

And of course I cannot go without mentioning all of the eye-candy that surrounded us this year!

Circling the Jumpers

The power house!

Father and son prepping the plane – what Oshkosh is all about!

Beautiful P-51 Mustang

Mustang Noses

As always Oshkosh provided the perfect setting for an amazing group of people to get together and share in the joy of aviation. From the Weeks Hangar to the Sea Plane Base there were amazing sights to be seen and fantastic people everywhere! I can’t wait until next year when we get to see what people have been working on over the next 12 months and to see what the the latest and greatest additions to the show will be. Maybe, just maybe, it will be this:

A Hellcat recently recovered from Lake Michigan – on it’s way to being restored!

Aerobatic judging is not only a fun and great way to get involved with the IAC, but also helps keep our sport alive. There are lots of misconceptions when it comes to judging including thinking that you have to be aerobatic pilot. News flash – you don’t have to be a pilot at all! Plenty of spouses and significant others attend judging school to learn how to be assistant judges or regional (and even sometimes National) judges as a way to get involved in the sport and we are very happy that they do! Additionally for you current and future aerobatic flyers, becoming a judge is not only helpful to your sport but also a great way to become a better competitor!

Our local IAC Chapter – IAC Chapter 26 – is holding an Introduction to Aerobatic Judging School March 9-10, 2013 at the Apple Valley Airport which meets the requirements for new judges (attend both days) as well as current judges that need to stay current or want to move up to National Judge status (need only to attend Sunday). The school will include lunches, a BBQ/Movie Night on Saturday night and time permitting a mini camp Sunday afternoon with some real flying for you to try out your new judging skills! It’s sure to be a great time and a wonderful way for new and long-time IAC participants, family and friends to get involved in one of the most exciting motorsports on the planet! For more information click the above links – we’d love to have you join us!

Comments: This will be a one day, one flight contest open to all pilots. The 2011 Sportsman Known Program will be flown. Aircraft accepted for entry will only be those that meet the following criteria. Aircraft eligible for entrance to the contest will be powered aircraft that have a calculated ratio of maximum certificated gross weight to engine horsepower of 7.8 or greater. Aircraft that are known to meet this criteria are the Citabria, Decathlon, Yak-52, Clipped Wing Cub, Clipped Wing Taylorcraft, Boeing Stearman (all 220 hp models), Great Lakes 2T-1, RV-8 (200 hp), Steen Skybolt (200hp or less). Aircraft models not listed here, presented for entry to the contest, will have their weight to power ratio calculated using the FAA approved aircraft operating limitations data to determine their eligibility for entry to the contest. A member of the Contest Technical Committee will perform the calculation. Only aircraft meeting the criteria above will be accepted for entry to the contest.

Comments: Rental cars not needed. Camping allowed. Plenty of motels, call CD for info. This is the lowest altitude Public use airport in CO. Plenty of hangar space. Laid back and fun contest. Very low cost contest:)

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